Classic: Stanley ka Dabba (2011)

The Plot
Stanley is a 4th std kid at Holy Family High School and he is very talented and liked by all his classmates. But, he is from an impoverished background. He never brings his lunch box 'dabba' and his friends are more than willing to share their lunch with him.

His English teacher Rosy is very impressed and she empathizes with him. There are also teachers like Mrs. Iyer who doesn't encourage his brilliant ideas and the grumpy Hindi teacher Babubhai Verma aka 'Khadoos' who always takes food from other children's and teacher's boxes but, berates Stanley for doing the same.

'Khadoos' even goes to the extent of banning Stanley from school unless he brings a lunch box. All the friends are very sad and 'Khadoos' also starts repenting for his lowly behavior. Then one day, Stanley brings a 'dabba' surprisingly and goes and offers it straight to 'Khadoos' who just can't handle the shame now and leaves the school for good.

In the end, Stanley does his school proud at the contest organized by the Theosophical Colony and we also come to know of the real truth behind Stanley in the end. He all along maintains that his mummy is waiting for him and that she cooks for him.

THE ENDING IS TOUCHING AND IS A BIG MOMENT OF REALIZATION FOR ALL OF US
                                                                 
Hits

• Hats off to Amole Gupte the creator for seamlessly blending such a delicate societal issue into a tale that is essentially about the lunch 'dabba' and salutations to the actor Amole Gupte as well. As Khadoos, the way he always grabs food from others' boxes and the way he runs after a student Aman's lunch box is a real delight. And the final act of repenting is top class too. 
• Partho as Stanley leads the credits for the kids lot. He has just behaved like how a kid does in real life. Some other kids that create an impact are the unmatched friend Abhishek and the lunch supplier to the entire class Aman. 
• Divya Dutta as Rosy, the English teacher who empathizes with Stanley and the other kids makes an impact with her humane approach to teaching. 
• Other support characters like Akram, the only man who is there to look after Stanley and the History teacher, Maths teacher are all well etched too. 
• The soundtrack haunts with its melody and meaning. 
• There is a lot of scope to focus on Stanley's orphaned and impoverished background but, the director does so only in the end. This creates maximum impact and does justice to the title which is essentially about Stanley's dabba. The ending validates the title perfectly too. 

VERDICT

The best movie regarding an issue that affects children. That it manages to educate as well as entertain in the backdrop of the lunch 'dabba' warrants endless applause.